Leave Me Alone
by Natileroxs
Summary: Lukas knows the life he's living isn't real. He has memories in his head that span hundreds of years. But no one wants to listen to his odd spouts of how he's the living embodiment of a country. And no matter how hard he tries, no one will call him by his real name, Norway. Also posted on Archive Of Our Own. Title is from the song Leave Me Alone by Alexander Rybak.
1. Part 1 - Murder Is Frowned Upon

_**Here you go readers. This is also on Archive of our own. Currently, the fic has 22 chapters. I am uploading them here as they get Beta read. I will respond to any questions in the next chapter so please leave reviews.**_

* * *

A bang startles Alexander out of the homework he's attempting to complete. Normally he would shrug it off, these fights happened way more often than not, but alarm bells ring in his head.

"SHUT UP!" He hears his mother's screech through the floorboards. Alexander got up from his desk. A blunt reply follows the yell. He starts walking towards the door when he hears more loud noises.

"Your name is LUKAS!" Alexander slips out of his room and heads for the stairs, his brother's voice becoming more audible.

"I am Norway," Alexander's feet made little sound as he tiptoed down the steps. More of his mother's yelling drifts up the hall, this time intangible.

"Mum?" His voice is barely heard as he quickens his pace. By the time he is halfway down the steps, he can see what is happening. Lukas has pushed himself against the counter and has one of the large knives. His mother is a few meters away but is slowly getting closer. Alexander's heart speeds up. "Mum!"

Lukas looks up to him for a minute, uncertain. Then he nods before looking back to the knife and turning it on himself. "I'll just have to prove it."

"Nor-"Alexander is cut off when he hears Lukas' breath hitch. Blood drips down the young boy's hands, coming from a stab wound that he had just inflicted upon himself.

Their mother starts screaming then, but Alexander is frozen on the spot. Crimson is now staining the pristine white tiles and running down Lukas' chin as the boy coughs up more and more blood. He falls forward, having now lost too much blood to stay firm on his feet.

Alexander moves on autopilot, taking the steps two at a time. He runs to the kitchen to catch Lukas in his arms, skidding to the ground. Screaming is still echoing in the house so Alexander turns to his mother. She is standing there, eyes wide and hair a mess.

"Shut up!" He spits in frustration. She complies. Alexander's eyes catch the landline sitting on the bench. "Call 911!" He commands and she rushes over to the phone, still in a daze.

Alexander takes it upon himself to try and stop the bleeding. Luckily the knife has stayed in, so Lukas' blood wasn't spurting everywhere. He chooses not to remove it, leaving it to the professionals that he hoped would get there soon. He turns Lukas around so that the boy is lying against his chest. Alexander brushes his hair from his eyes and combs it with his fingers. He faintly hears his mother on the phone. Her voice is shaking and she's swaying on her feet, face sheet white.

He's actually surprised how well he's taking this himself since he never imagined he'd be the calm one in these situations. But he knows that it will wear off and he will be sitting up in bed at one am, trembling like a flame in the wind.

* * *

By the time the ambulance gets to their house, his mother had gone through three glasses of wine. She'd started drinking as soon as she'd gotten off the phone, her way of coping he supposed. Paramedics came to the door and knocked. Alexander went about sending his mother to let them in. He was still on his knees. The hard floor made the position incredibly uncomfortable, but he didn't want to move Lukas.

His mother comes back, followed by three people in uniforms. One moved forward towards him and Alexander clung tighter to his brother. The paramedic moved so she was kneeling in front of him and asked him to let go, the other two coming up behind him. He reluctantly let go and the first woman and one of the pair laid him down on the tiles. One checked his injury and pulse while the other brought out a stretcher. But the last one pulled him back.

"Sir, could you please explain to me what happened, your mother?" He looked at Alexander for confirmation. Alexander nodded. "Yes, your mother seems to be a bit out of it right now, but that will pass."

Alexander nodded again and looked sadly at Lukas as they picked up the stretcher and carried him out.

"I-What is going to happen to him?" Alexander's voice wobbled.

"We need to stop the bleeding, it's a good thing you left the knife in," The man smiled slightly and helped Alexander up. The pair then made their way over to Alexander's mother who was currently laying on the couch in the lounge which was adjacent to the kitchen.

"Ma'am, your son will have to come with me to explain what happened. You'll need someone to drive you to the hospital, you can't drive in your intoxicated state," She nodded, gulping down another glass, further proving his point.

Alexander followed the man outside and secretly thanked the fact that he had only just gotten home from a friend's house before starting his homework and was still wearing shoes. He heard his mother walk out and lock the door, blindly following. She hadn't been as lucky, having to rush to her room to grab a pair of flip-flops to wear.

When they got in the car, it was a police car, the man was an officer. Of course. He started feeling sick. How was he keeping his cool? He got in the front, his mother laying herself out on the backseat. The officer started the car.

As they were following the ambulance, Alexander looked down at his hands that sat in his lap. He gulped as the officer cleared his throat.

"So..." He left the rest of the sentence unsaid.

"Yeah," Alexander said quietly. He quickly explained what had happened, voice shaking. The officer didn't say anything else.

* * *

When they'd finally gotten to the hospital, Alexander was shaking. He helped his mother out of the car and let her lean on him.

She'd fallen into hysterics, something he was surprised hadn't happened to himself. Her nose was runny and her tears soaked the sleeve of his hoodie. The officer from before walked up to them, obviously finished talking to the medics. He wasn't smiling.

"What-what is it?" He almost didn't notice the stutter in his mother's voice; it was drowned out by the hiccups following every word.

"Your son is in a stable condition," The officer stated and Alexander sighed in relief. But the look in the man's eyes stopped him short.

"But," There was always a 'but'. Nothing was ever perfect, was it? "But, the doctors have been talking. From what has been explained to me, Lukas has been having outbursts like this for a while. They think that something else might happen. Something worse."

Alexander's heart dropped. He knew what was going to be said before it was said.

"They are going to take him to a mental health facility so that he can get better."

* * *

 ** _Alexander is not, I repeat, IS NOT an OC. He is a canon character and it will be revealed who he is later._**


	2. Part 1 - Whispers In The Dark

_**New chapter here. Hope you enjoy.**_

* * *

Lukas never liked his name. No, that wasn't right. He didn't mind it, but it wasn't his name. Not his real name. His real name was much more important. It was much more significant. His real name was Norway.

Yes, that sentence probably made him sound like a nut job but it was true. His name really was Norway. It had been for a long time now.

It had started when he was pretty young. He had a dream. It showed him the past. His past. As he grew up, the dreams got more vivid, more graphic. Violence and blood littered nearly every one.

But some, some were peaceful. He had dreams of a young blonde haired boy. In the dream, the boy called him 'Big Brother'.

He remembered others. A tall man with blonde hair and glasses, standing next to a short, sweet blonde man. And a tall blonde with spiky hair. He was one of the most prominent people in the dreams.

When Lukas turned ten that was when everything changed. He was sleeping in bed when he woke up with a killer headache. He ran to the bathroom, careful not to wake his mother or brother. He splashed water on his face, feeling dizzy. His legs gave out under him and he fell to his knees, right there in front of the mirror. Closing his eyes, he curled up on the ground, attempting to muffle his whines and cries.

It was no use though. Just as he'd dreaded, Alexander's voice travelled down the hall. "Lukas?" That's when he knew. That wasn't his name. His name, his real name, now seemed so obvious. As did the conclusion to all the dreams, the blonde man and the young boy he called little brother.

"Norway." he whispered, but the word echoed anyway.

"Lukas?" Alexander's voice was louder, he was getting closer. "Lukas, are you in here?" He was outside the door now.

"Norway." he repeated, louder.

"Norway? What does Norway have to do with anything?" Alexander questioned, pushing the mostly closed door open. When he saw Lukas on the ground, he rushed forward and embraced him.

"It's my name." Lukas stated bluntly. Well, he did trust Alexander. The boy who claimed to be his older brother was familiar somehow.

"That's silly." Alexander tried to laugh. Lukas gave him a look. He was completely serious. "Your name is Norway?" His brother looked more concerned.

"Yes," Lukas responded, nodding.

"O-Okay," Alexander stuttered. "But isn't your name Lukas?"

"It is one of my names, my main name is Norway. My human name is Lukas Bondevik," Lukas told him, moving from the uncomfortable position on the ground to a wobbly standing. Alexander followed his lead and got to his feet as well.

"And when did you decide that?" Alexander seemed to be testing him now. Most likely seeing if the whole thing was a joke.

"I can't remember," Lukas led the way out of the bathroom, heading towards his room. "It was a long time ago,"

"But you've never mentioned it before," Alexander opened the door and the two tiptoed into Lukas' room. His elder brother closed the door and Lukas slipped under the covers. Alexander went and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I only remembered now."

"So, do I still call you Lukas? Or would you like me to call you 'Norway'?" Alexander still looked unsure, like the whole thing was an elaborate lie created to prank him.

"Norway is more preferable," Lukas looked away.

"Okay, Norway it is," Alexander smiled, getting up. "Well, good night 'Norway'."

"God Natt, Alexander," Lukas buried himself in the covers and Alexander gave him one more wobbly nod before letting himself out and closing the door.

* * *

After that, Alexander and Lukas grew extremely close. Lukas also started getting people to call him Norway. Well, trying to. The only one that called him that was Alexander.

But Lukas wouldn't give up. Alexander was perplexed by his stubbornness.

"It's nothing," Lukas shook his head when Alexander asked him about it. "It's nothing compared to what happened with Emil."

Alexander scrunched his brow in confusion. "Emil?"

"Iceland," Lukas elaborated. "I've tried for decades for him to call me, 'big brother'."

"Oh," Alexander sighed. "So, you have a younger brother?"

"Yes," Lukas nodded.

* * *

Whenever Alexander had gotten home from school early, whether, for study or school-based activities, Lukas was always there.

Lukas hadn't been going to school since that one night when he was ten. Lukas had been forging sick notes and faking the fact that he was in hospital. He had tests delivered to the house and then sending them off again, getting perfect scores. It confused Alexander greatly since he knew Lukas hadn't been studying but rather surfing the web for information about his supposed 'family', which was primarily composed of the Nordic five and a micronation called Sealand.

Lukas had pointed out all the countries on the world map plastered across his bedroom, adding interesting commentary.

"That's Denmark, he's an idiot." Lukas pointed to the country. "He's always smiling and happy, it's annoying." But the look on his face said otherwise.

"That's Sweden and Finland, they're married. Sweden calls Finland his wife even though they're both males."

"Why?" Alexander asked.

"They spent a lot of time together after the Swedish war of independence. Sweden developed a crush," Lukas walked away from the map. Alexander took the hint.

* * *

When Lukas woke up, his side ached. White light surrounded him and he held up his hand. As his sight returned, he felt each of his bones. Nothing was broken and it seemed none of his organs had been punctured.

People surrounded him. Nurses and Doctors stood over the bed. "So, you're awake, Mr Bondevik. I am Doctor Ryers."

"It's Norway." He said, rolling his eyes.

"Yes, yes." Dr Ryers nodded slowly.

"Where is my brother?" Lukas' eyes narrowed.

"You won't be seeing him for a while." Dr Ryers shook his head. Lukas glared. "After you are discharged from here, there will be two guards to escort you to your new home at Blackwood Mental Facility."

"What?" Lukas sat up quickly.

"It's to help you get better." One of the nurses piped up. Lukas sent her a glare.

"We'll be back when you can leave." Dr Ryers told him and then the hoard of doctors and nurses cleaned out.

Lukas flopped down onto the pillow, looking up at the white ceiling. He didn't understand anything. And he hated that. To not know how he got there and where his family was and what was happening.

When Dr Ryers got back, he came with two guards. They motioned for him to get up, something he refused. He was not going to leave. Not to go to some mental asylum. That was exactly what a 'mental facility' sounded like to him.

The guards pulled him out of bed and forced him to walk. He struggled against them for a bit before one of them injected him with something and his vision went dark.

* * *

Lukas woke again, his head pounding. He was lying in a white room of sorts, completely blank sans a small window. The ceiling was too low for him to stand and the room wasn't very wide. This, combined with the bumps and the way the room moved, led him to believe that he was in some sort of vehicle.

He banged against the wall a few times, getting no acknowledgement that they'd heard him. He sighed and sat up.

After a few more minutes of twisting, turning and bumping, the vehicle stopped and he heard the sound of car doors slamming. Then the wall with the window opened up to reveal Dr Ryers and the two guards. The two guards grabbed him and pulled him out, clamping cuffs over his thin wrists. He glared at the pair.

They walked him towards a building that looked more like a prison than a hospital. He gave the two guards dark looks and then directed his gaze towards Dr Ryers.

"We're here." he said happily and Lukas narrowed his eyes.

He was about to spit out a remark but they'd entered the facility. As the receptionist talked with the doctor, Lukas noticed another doctor, female this time, heading towards them.

She smiled at him. "Oh, hello, you must be Lukas."

"Norway." He corrected her with an even voice. She nodded and wrote something down on her clipboard.

"I'm Doctor Mayla." She grinned and held out her hand. He held up his shackled wrists and she nodded, moving her hand. She didn't look deterred. "Well, I am going to be looking after slash monitoring you while you are here. Okay?"

He sent her a glare. She was almost as bad as Denmark. And that was saying something. Speaking of which, He wouldn't admit it but he kinda missed that bright and cheerful country.

Dr Mayla led him away from the front desk, the guards following. She took him further into the building. Using a key card, she opened another door, letting him through but stopping up the guards. "Sorry, but you can't go past here. Key, please." She held out her hand. The guards looked reluctant but obliged.

Once out of sight of the guards, Dr Mayla unlocked the cuffs. "You won't do anything; I've read your file. You're only violent when you're pushed to the limit." She grasped his hand. "And that is very unlikely to happen here."

They'd started passing nurses and doctors by then. "Okay, so there are nine teens here, only one is too sick to leave his room. All males. So eight people for you to befriend," She smiled happily at him and he frowned.

"Oh! And here's one now," She pointed to another doctor and what looked to be a patient, though at his angle he couldn't see a face or hair.

"Doctor Mavis!" Dr Mayla greeted the male doctor.

"Doctor Mayla! And this must be your new assigned patient," He gestured to Lukas. She nodded. The other patient had moved so Lukas could see their face. Male, spikes of blond hair and light blue eyes greeted him. The other's face, so familiar.

"Denmark?"

* * *

 _ **Response to Alvazu - Of course I would. You will find out though. Guess away though.**_


	3. Part 1 - Lillebror

**_Sorry, this took so long. My Beta Reader's schedule is a bit wild and so is mine. This and chapter 4 are being uploaded at the same time._**

* * *

The blond looked at him, confused.

"Denmark?" He tilted his head. "I'm Matthias,"

Lukas' heart dropped. He didn't remember. After all his hopes had risen.

"What's your name?" He asked. The doctors were still enraptured in their conversation.

"Norway," he wished to see a flicker of recognition in the other's eyes but there was nothing. He faintly felt Dr. Mayla tugging him away. Matthias smiled, almost blinding him.

"Nice to meet you, 'Norge'," He too was being pulled away but in the opposite direction. (" _Norway")_

Dr. Mayla led him further down the hall. The walls were grey and the white vinyl was sickening. He couldn't believe he had found Denmark in a place like this.

"You can talk to the others later," Dr. Mayla's voice jolted him out of his thoughts. He stiffly nodded. They walked past a few doors with plaques on them. Dr. Mayla pointed to one.

"That's the game room; I'll take you there once we've been to your room. Two in a room, aside from that other patient I mentioned before. Now that you're here, Alfred will finally have a dorm mate,"

The names rang a bell in Lukas' ears and he immediately traced it to the obnoxious and loud American that Denmark sometimes hung out with. Great.

Dr. Mayla stopped at a door. Two names were written.

' _Alfred F Jones'_

' _Lukas Bondevik'_

Yes, that pretty much confirmed that it was America. But that meant that he might know where more nations were. Likely not, since there was a high chance that he was in the same boat as Denmark.

"Here's your dorm, Alfred is very nice, don't worry," She smiled before opening the door.

"Alfred, I've brought your new dorm mate," The room was pretty blank, light green walls and grey vinyl. Two beds had been pushed to opposite sides of the room. A single mattress lay on the ground. A blond sat on one of the beds, rectangular glasses and cowlick making it obvious that it was Alfred. On the other bed, sitting quietly was another blond that looked exactly like Alfred. It took him a few seconds to remember his name. Matthew, wasn't it? Or Canada, to be more precise.

"Hey!" Alfred looked up at him with bright blue eyes.

"Hello, America," Lukas greeted, Dr. Mayla giving him a look.

"I think you heard wrong, my name is Alfred," He replied. "And this is Matthew,"

"You don't remember either," Lukas sighed. Dr. Mayla wrote a few things down on her clipboard before turning to Alfred.

"Who is Matthew?" She asked, sounding as if she'd asked this a million times before.

"He's my awesome twin brother!" She shook her head, not pleased. She then wrote a few more things down. It finally made sense. Normally, barely anyone could see Matthew and everyone regularly forgot who he was, only remembering when the passive aggressive nation spoke up or did something out of character. So it made sense that no one could see him now. This must be why Alfred was there.

"What's your name?" Alfred asked him. The whole time they'd been talking, Matthew had been quiet, probably used to everyone ignoring him.

"Norway," He said quickly, cutting off Dr. Mayla as she tried to respond with 'Lukas'.

"Norway, huh, isn't that a country?" Matthew looked interested as Lukas walked into the room and sat on the bed. He switched his gaze to Matthew quickly, the latter jumping slightly from his cold stare.

"It is. I am the Anthropomorphic Personification of Norway,"

Alfred chuckled. "Is that why you're here? Cause if so, that's a lame reason," Lukas nodded. "I'm here for a lame reason too,"

"Norway, come on," Dr. Mayla's voice cut through the unwavering silence. Lukas stood up and walked over to her, glaring.

"I'll take you to the game room now, there should be more people for you to talk to there," She pulled him away from the room and slammed the door shut.

She looked oddly uncomfortable but Lukas brushed her off. He'd think about that later. Several doctors passed them, giving him odd looks.

Most of them greeted Dr. Mayla, her being unusually quiet and mumbling hellos. It confused Lukas even more. From what he'd gotten the gist of, she was bright and bubbly. Jumping around and always giddy and generally Denmark like.

Getting to the game room, Dr. Mayla had become more like herself again. She still wasn't as peppy but was getting better. "Okay, here's the game room. It's where everyone hangs out." She opened the door, a small and fake smile on her face.

The walls were white but actual carpet was laid blue on the ground. Two couches sat in the corner, three tables sitting in the middle. Chairs surrounded the tables, nine in total, though one sat in the corner. Three people sat in chairs. Lukas froze. It was them.

"This is also where everyone eats and conver- Lukas?" She had just noticed that he'd stopped.

"Lillebror," His voice was almost a whisper. (" _Little Brother"_ )

Dr. Mayla sent him a confused glance but he paid her no mind. He stepped towards the trio, them finally noticing him. Dr Mayla moved forward and introduced him.

"Guys, this is Lukas. He prefers to be called Norway, though," She smiled. The eldest, Sweden, adjusted his glasses.

"Ja, I am Berwald," He greeted, his eyes narrowing like normal. He gestured to the boy next to him. Finland. "This is my wife," (" _Yes"_ )

"W-what?!" The boy jumped. Berwald shot him a look and he immediately cowered. "Oh, I'm Tino, Tino Väinämöinen," he seemed to have recovered quite quickly. But Lukas was used to the two and didn't question it. His eyes darted over to the third occupant of the table.

"I'm Emil," he said in a deadpan voice, flicking almost white hair away from his face.

"Sweden, Finland," Lukas replied. Dr. Mayla once again wrote something down on her clipboard. He turned to Emil. "Lillebror,"

"Huh?" Emil looked surprised but he quickly hid it behind an expression of nonchalant.

"Finland?" Tino repeated at the same time Berwald said 'Sweden?'

"Norway here likes associating countries with people. He calls Alfred 'America'. It's odd but it's what he feels comfortable with," Dr. Mayla explained. Lukas sent her a glare as Berwald and Tino nodded.

"What about me?" Emil asked, looked more at Lukas then Dr. Mayla.

"You're Lillebror Iceland," Lukas told him.

"Little brother?" Emil didn't look convinced. "I don't have an older brother,"

"What's happening in here?" A voice came from behind them. Lukas turned around to see Matthias. He had a big grin on his face, but his eyes betrayed his confusion.

"Norway claims he is Emil's older brother," Tino explained. "I think it's cute. Emil, why don't you call all of us Big Brother?"

Emil glared at Tino. Dr. Mayla let out a nervous laugh before scribbling on her clipboard.

"Emmy is our lillebror from now on!" Matthias grinned and threw over Lukas' shoulder, which was immediately pushed off.

"My name is Emil, not 'Emmy'. And I'm not calling any of you 'big brother',"

* * *

 ** _And there, I've introduced the rest of the Nordics. Seems like Alexander can't be any of those guys. Comment on who you think he is._**

 ** _I hope I wrote all the characters right. This is my first time writing them so please help me out._**


	4. Part 1 - The Magic Trio

**_Here's the fourth chapter. To remind you, this is cross-posted on AO3. Thanks to everyone who leaves reviews and has left reviews in the past. Author's note at the end is directly copied from the AO3 uploads and will be this entire fic._**

* * *

The five sat in the game room for a while, attempting to play a game of cards. Matthias still sucked at it, Lukas was glad some things hadn't changed.

The four had been constantly calling Emil 'Lillebror', which annoyed the hell out of him, but other than that, the evening had been rather pleasant. Until of course, a group of doctors entered the room. One by one, they took someone away until Lukas was the only one left. Dr Mayla stood by the door, seeing if he wanted to leave, but he stayed sat down, giving her the cold shoulder.

It didn't make sense to him. Why was he the only one who remembered? And how could he escape?

The sound of the door opening jolted him from his thoughts and he discreetly looked up. Four people had entered, two doctors, two patients. The two doctors greeted Dr Mayla, but the two patients were the ones he was interested in. One had a messy mop of blond hair and forest green eyes and seemed to be conversing with a few faeries that had followed him in. But he must look like he was talking to nothing from the doctor's perspective.

The second had strawberry blond hair and reddish eyes, grinning as his eyes trailed towards Lukas' form. With his back to them, they couldn't see his face and as such, only saw him as a newbie.

The blond had only just noticed him and was now walking towards him in quick strides. The other boy followed quickly, snickering at the thought of scaring the newbie. Just as the blond was about to introduce himself, Lukas spoke. "Hello England, Romania," His voice betrayed no emotion.

The blond froze. "Wait a minute, I know your voice," Lukas' heart rose with hope. "It's just like with Vladmir here. I recognised your voice but I can't put my hand on where from." He sat down next to Lukas and looked him in the eye. "I recognise your face, too,"

So there are remnants then. It made sense. Both England and Romania were incredibly in tune with their magic side.

The red-eyed boy stopped. "Wait, what did you call me?" He asked, confused.

"Romania," Lukas repeated. This was when Dr. Mayla came up behind him.

"Hello boys, let me introduce Lukas, or he likes to be called 'Norway'," She smiled. The blond furrowed his abnormally thick eyebrows.

"But he called me a country." The red-eyed boy pointed to himself.

"Yes," She said slowly. "He's been doing that all day." She bit her lip as she started scribbling on her clipboard.

"Well, I'm Arthur Kirkland, and this is Vladmir Lupei," The blond introduced them. Lukas nodded, rolling his eyes.

"Now we want to know why you're so familiar because I don't think we've met before." Arthur continued.

"Ask the faeries, they should be able to tell you," Lukas told him. Dr. Mayla looked alarmed when he pushed away one of the many faeries hanging around.

"You can see them?" Arthur's eyes widened and his expression was filled with both confusion and hope.

"Of course, he should be able to see them as well," Lukas pointed to Vladmir and the boy stuck up his nose.

"Me, friends with faeries. I'm a vampire," He told them, attempting to glare at Lukas.

"You were back when we were all friends,"

Arthur jumped. "You know who we are, don't you. These faeries are always teasing me about not knowing the truth, but you must know!"

Lukas sighed. He could maybe tell these guys his theories. He knew Arthur would listen, but he wasn't sure about Vladmir.

"I think we've had our memories wiped. I only have recently regained my memories." Lukas said suddenly. Arthur thought about it for a second.

"It makes sense and would explain that vague sense of déjà vu that I keep having. So we've had our memories and before that we were friends?" Lukas nodded.

"You're expecting me to believe that; yeah, you're familiar but amnesia? Seriously?" Vladmir raised his eyebrows, not believing anything they were saying.

"It's an interesting thought though, and makes sense," Arthur reasoned. "Perhaps you could explain what you remember to us, Lukas."

"That's enough," Dr. Mayla pulled Lukas away. "You should be heading back to your room, _Lukas_." She put emphasis on his name. He glared. Arthur shared his expression.

"We can talk tomorrow," Arthur sighed heavily before turning to converse with a faerie that had approached him.

Lukas nodded before directing his gaze towards Vladmir. He stared back.

"Come now, Lukas," Dr. Mayla pretty much dragged him out the door. She went about leading him to his dorm, all while whispering to herself. Once inside, she sat him down on the now unoccupied bed. Alfred and Matthew were nowhere to be seen.

"I will bring you dinner when the time comes," She told him. "I expected more from you, didn't think you'd spread your silly nonsense around," She looked down at him disapprovingly. "No matter, we'll set you right."

Lukas was shocked, though he didn't show it. He expected the Doctors here to be calm and collected, understanding the situation, or at least as much as they could. They should have majored in physiology after all.

She stood in front of him for a minute before stepping out of the room and locking the door, leaving him in the room by himself.

* * *

"Another one, gone." A voice hissed.

"I know, it's absolutely ridiculous, they're regaining their memories faster and faster." Another voice whispered back.

"Sooner or later, the nations are going to find them." A third interrupted.

"Then there will be hell to pay," The first spoke again. "At least we won't have to deal with _him._ " They all looked to the cage on the ground, which was made from one of the strongest metals in the world. A voice came from it.

"You let me out of here, da?"

* * *

 ** _Everything's heating up, huh? And candidates for who Alexander could be are dwindling down, slowly._**

 ** _Please comment if I got any characterization wrong, a reminder that this is the first time writing these characters._**

 ** _Thanks to everyone who left kudos and commented_**


	5. Part 1 - An Axe In the Forest

**_Author's note below is copied straight from AO3. So is the one at the bottom._**

 ** _"Thanks to all that have left Kudos and Commented on the previous chapters._**

 ** _Please inform me ever if anyone is out of character."_**

 ** _Guest on chapter 4 -_** **"You'll have to wait and see, but I'm happy she's getting across that way."**

 _ **Clooud on chapter 4 -**_ **"Thank you. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story."**

 _ **EpicGlompDinoGirl15 on chapter 4 -**_ **"Here you go. Next 2 chapters."**

* * *

Ever since Matthias could remember, he and Berwald had been friends. They lived next door to each other after all. They went to the same school and explored the same forest behind their houses.

Berwald and he had been known to 'fight', which he didn't really consider aggressive in anyway. They were just for fun, honestly. It started with them battling with sticks in the forest or wrestling in the grass in Matthias' backyard. His mother always gave him odd and worried looks when he came home with scratches and bruises, but he would just go about patching himself up, only to do the same thing a few days later.

It got to a point where she was pleading for him to stop hanging out with Berwald, but Matthias was extremely defensive of their friendship, calling Berwald his 'Brother'.

One day in summer, Matthias was off in the forest by himself. As he had just turned fourteen, he was allowed to go exploring alone. Though his mother was still concerned, constantly reminding him to be careful.

Many trees surrounded him and he was pushing branches out of the way when he saw it. It was glorious.

A razor-sharp axe was stuck in the stump of a tree. It almost called to him and he walked forward in a daze.

He grasped the handle of the blade and then hesitated. What if it belonged to someone else? But who would leave an axe in the middle of the forest?

Making up his mind, he pulled harshly at the axe, it breaking out of the wood, and holding it high in the air. He almost felt a type of aura from it and that's what compelled him to drag it home.

"Mum!" He called as soon as he'd made it out of the forest. His mother came out straight away, as she always did. She'd gotten a lot more skittish as he'd gotten older, not working and trying to home school him. He refused of course since that was one of the only times that he got to hang with Berwald.

She looked relieved to see him in one piece, but her relief quickly faded into fear when she saw what he was hauling behind him. "W-what is that?!"

He gave her a look. Wasn't it obvious? "It's an axe, I found it in the forest," He'd made it to the deck where she stood. Stepping onto the wood, he pulled the heavy object up with him. "It's nice, isn't it?"

"Uh..." She was speechless for a moment. "Wait! That's dangerous! Why do you have it?!"

"Because it was calling to me. It's mine now." Matthias grinned, holding it high in the air to the horror of his mother.

"Put it down, now!" She demanded. Matthias sighed but complied.

"Why?" He whined.

"IT'S DANGEROUS! I'm going to go call your father, stay here and don't touch it!" She crossed her arms before leaving. He gazed at the polished wood longingly, wishing to hold the deadly weapon again.

From where he stood, he could hear his mother's voice through an open window. "Honey, please, you need to come home!" Matthias tilted his head. Why did his dad need to come home?

"Hej Matthias," Came a familiar voice. Berwald stood, leaning over the fence that separated their houses. He looked down at the axe. "What's that?" ("Hello,")

Matthias, against his better judgment, picked the axe up. "I found it in the forest. It's awesome, right? I thought you were out with your family?"

The taller boy shook his head. "We had to come home, it's going to rain." He pointed to the dark clouds in the sky. Matthias hadn't even noticed the lack of sunshine.

"Matthias," His mother came up behind him. "I told you not to touch it. Put it down!" She cried. Matthias simply shook his head.

"It feels better in my hands." He said, swinging it lightly. Berwald adjusted his glasses, eyes narrowing like normal.

His mother gulped at Berwald's stare but then stepped towards Matthias. "Put it down!" She repeated a slight waver in her voice.

Matthias was about to answer when a piercing ache stabbed through his head. He froze. His mother did too, confusion written on her face. Even Berwald looked concerned.

He dropped to his knees, the axe falling out of his hands and to the ground. He then grabbed his head, crying out in pain, shaking all over.

"Matthias!" His mother called out, rushing to him but was pulled away. A strong, bulky blond man stood behind her. It was Matthias' father.

"Dear, please go get the car started. I think it's time," He whispered. Berwald glared as he picked Matthias' curled up form.

"Put him down." Berwald's rough voice was ice. Matthias tried to push away from his father but only succeeded in causing himself more pain, making him yelp. Berwald repeated his command.

Matthias' mother had already started her car and now the hum of the engine signaled that she was ready to go. Berwald's hand quickly snapped forward and grabbed Matthias' wrist.

"I'm coming with him." Berwald's parents had finally come out from their house, probably alerted by the sound of Matthias' cries.

"What's going on?" Berwald's father asked and the other man motioned to his own son.

"We don't know, but we're taking him to the doctor." He said."I'm going with him." Berwald had made his way over the fence and was now standing by Matthias' father. Berwald's mother looked shocked.

"I'm going with him." Berwald had made his way over the fence and was now standing by Matthias' father. Berwald's mother looked shocked.

"But you know where he's going, right?" She asked, worried. Berwald shook his head.

"I don't care." His glare hardened and his mother stepped back. She then motioned to the front of the house.

"I'll come with you, h-he needs someone to sign him in." She stepped into the house, followed by her husband. She then emerged out her front door, walking up her driveway and towards the humming car.

Berwald followed Matthias' father to the car. His mother was sat in the back seat and he sat next to her, Matthias' father placing his so-called son down on the seat before buckling him in.

They took off and Berwald's mother turned to her son, eyebrows creasing in worry. "Are you sure you really want to do this? You don't know what you're getting into."

"I have heard you talk late at night." Berwald glared at her. She stiffened.

"You did?" He nodded and she sighed heavily. "You weren't supposed to hear us."

Berwald then felt a hand grasping his wrist. He looked down to see Matthias' arms embracing him. His pale face looked up at Berwald, worried that he'd push the weak boy away. Berwald didn't.

* * *

Matthias was looking a bit better by the time they'd gotten there. Berwald let the shorter boy lean on him and they hobbled along together, behind Matthias' father but in front of their mothers.

Matthias' father opened the door and held it open for the rest to walk in.

"Yes, Sir?" The receptionist asked, slightly confused.

"This is my son, Matthias." He gestured to Matthias and Berwald's mother stepped forward.

"And this is my son, Berwald." The rest of the conversation was drowned out by Matthias' quiet voice.

"Where are we?" He asked, finally realizing the hospital like environment. Berwald didn't respond. "Hospital?" Berwald shook his head.

Two doctors had walked out of one of the doors and seemed to have been called by the receptionist. One approached Matthias while the other walked up to Berwald.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Oxenstierna," It was a woman. "I'm doctor Kaysa," Her voice was deeper than any other woman he'd met before.

Matthias looked at them, still confused. He decided to voice his confusion aloud. "Where are we?"

"You are at Blackwood Mental Facility."

"What?" Matthias looked confused, worry written across his face.

"Your parents signed both of you in because they were incredibly concerned about you." Dr. Kaysa said simply. "You'll be staying here for observation for a few days."

Berwald glared at her, but followed none the less when she led him through the door they'd previously come from. Matthias looked at him while he was dragged away by his own doctor. This wasn't what he wanted when he picked up that axe. Not at all.

* * *

"Ivan was taken away last night." Matthias said casually. Berwald narrowed his eyes. "I don't have a dorm mate anymore, and neither do you."

Berwald remained quiet so Matthias continued. "The doctor said we were behaving and that I could move back to our old room."

"I just wish I knew what happened to Ivan."

* * *

 _ **"So now you know how they got there. I wanted to go into more detail but thought better of it since it probably wouldn't contribute to the story at all.**_  
 _ **I wanted to get this chapter out yesterday but unfortunately, I didn't get enough time to type all of it up.**_  
Last _ **chapter, yes that was Russia, and yes he used to be dorm mates with Denmark. The whole thing with Sweden not having a dorm mate will be explained later.**_

 _ **Sweden and Denmark are one of the best BroTPs ever. Sometimes I get really frustrated when people write the Nordics like they abuse Denmark, Norway included.**_

 _ **Next chapter we'll go back to Norway, and don't worry we'll get around to Alexander too."**_


	6. Part 1 - You Can See Him?

_**Bit shorter chapter here. Bottom AN is copied from AO3.**_

* * *

Dr Mayla wouldn't let him out of his room after that. She obviously didn't trust him not to spread his 'nonsense'. He found it stupid. He was just telling the truth, after all.

A knock at the door made Lukas look up. It must be Dr Mayla with his dinner like she promised. He was surprised to see that he was only half correct. It was Dr Mayla, but she came empty handed, sans her clipboard but he was pretty sure that was connected to her by now.

"Lukas." She sounded relieved. Like she thought he could have gone somewhere. "Come on now, you're going to visit the psychiatrist and then I'll get you some dinner."

Lukas glared. He didn't want to see some doctor who would treat him like a child even though he was much older than any of the doctors in the world. Well all the proper ones anyway, he was unsure how many nations classified themselves as doctors if any did at all.

Not like he had much of a choice. Dr Mayla was already pulling him down the hall at a fast pace. She stopped at a door, the name plate displaying the name

'Dr Carlton'

Dr Mayla knocked lightly. "It's Doctor Mayla with Lukas." She spoke through the door when her knock was met with silence. Suddenly the door opened and another doctor came out, followed by Alfred and Matthew. Matthew's gaze was down cast and Alfred's hands were balled into fists. Lukas made a note to himself to ask later.

"Come in Dr Mayla, Lukas." A man's voice came from the room and Dr Mayla basically shoved him inside.

A man sat in a chair behind a wooden desk. A long chair sat across from him which Lukas relaxed into. Dr Mayla gave him a nod before stepping out and closing the door.

"You must be Lukas," The man looked at him. "Well I am Doctor Carlton and I am here to help y-"Lukas cut him off.

"Norway."

"Ah yes, Dr Mayla informed me of your little nickname." He nodded, writing something down on his clipboard. Lukas was completely convinced that he and Dr Mayla were related by the way they were attached to their clipboards.

"Can I go?" Lukas asked, bored of the whole ordeal already.

"Asking that already, you seem to be overeager to leave." Dr Carlton chuckled and Lukas glared.

"Well, Lukas, how are you feeling?" He changed the topic.

"Norway." Lukas corrected. Dr Carlton shook his head.

"We can't have that. You need to know your real name and it's not Norway."

"Yes, it is," Lukas' eyes narrowed. "I am the anthropomorphic personification of Norway, so it's my name."

Dr Carlton shook his head again; Lukas could almost hear the tutting in his voice. "No, no, no Lukas." The man sounded like he was scolding a child. Lukas glared at him. "That's not right, you name is Lukas Bondevik. You are fourteen years old and you have a mother and an older brother."

"No," He shook his head. "I am the anthropomorphic personification of Norway and I am 1145 years old,"

"Lukas, please!" Dr Carlton raised his voice slightly. Lukas stood up, sick of the man's voice. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm leaving." He walked towards the door, Dr Carlton standing up.

"You can't leave, Lukas!"

"Yes, I can." Lukas grabbed the door handle and opened it, revealing Dr Mayla, who was mid-knock.

"Oh! You're done already?!" She asked, voice high-strung.

"I guess we are," Dr Carlton did not look happy. "He wasn't very cooperative."

Dr Mayla sighed. She gently pulled Lukas towards her. "Well, let's go get you some food. Perhaps he's just agitated because he's hungry." Lukas sent her a glare but followed her, happy to leave Dr Carlton's presence.

Once they were further down the hall, Dr Mayla stopped and turned to him. "Lukas," She started. "Come on, give him a chance. This is the only way you're going to get better."

"I don't need to get better." He told her and continued walking. Dr Mayla rushed to keep up with him.

"Please, Lukas!" She pleaded but he ignored her in favour of opening the door to his dorm. Alfred sat on his own bed, Matthew rubbing Alfred's back. The pair greeted him as he entered Matthew's voice much quieter, not expecting to be heard.

"Fine, I'll be back," Dr Mayla sighed and shut the door behind her.

"Hello, America, Canada," The twins froze, eyes widening in unison. "What?" Lukas acted as if he didn't know what had startled them.

"You can see Mattie?" Alfred asked at the same time Matthew said something similar.

"Yes, did I not mention it before?"

"But no one else can see him!" Alfred said quickly, excitement evident in his voice. "Does this have something to do with you being 'Norway'?" Lukas nodded.

"Finally," Matthew's whisper was heard by the other two and they turned to him. Alfred immediately hugged his brother.

"Finally!" Alfred repeated his brother's sentiment much louder.

"That's why you're here, right?" Alfred nodded and Lukas rolled his eyes.

"Well, that and some nightmares I have..." Alfred sighed. "But mostly because of Mattie."

Since Lukas had nothing to add, he stayed quiet. Alfred took this as his queue to continue.

"I'm just so happy that finally, someone can see Mattie!" His grin faltered. "Dr Carlton tried to tell me that Matthew wasn't real."

"He didn't believe me either." Lukas told him.

"That's stupid, this is all really stupid!" Alfred growled. "Why can't people just open their eyes and look properly? If they did that, they would see Matthew, because he is there!" He clenched his hand into a fist. "Even though he is kinda quiet and blends in a little, that isn't a good enough reason to ignore the fact that he exists!"

* * *

 _ **"Alfred and Matthew are so sweet. I hate when people forget that America and Canada are pretty close in canon.**_

 _ **The age of Norway I got from the Wikipedia page of when Norway was established and just took it away from 2017 since I'm pretty sure that's when this is set.**_

 _ **I'm gonna put in ages for each important character that has been introduced.**_  
 _ **Lukas - 14**_  
 _ **Alexander - 18**_  
 _ **Matthias and Berwald - 16**_  
 _ **Tino - 13**_  
 _ **Emil - 12**_  
 _ **Arthur - 15**_  
 _ **Vladimir - 14**_  
 _ **Alfred and Matthew - 17**_  
 _ **Ivan - 21**_

 _ **Thanks to all that gave kudos and commented on previous chapters."**_


	7. Part 1 - A Forgotten Child

_**Bottom AN is copied from AO3. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favourited.**_

* * *

When Alfred was young, he was already what he considered a master thief. He stole food from the cupboards and whined to his parents for more because he was 'hungry'.

Actually, he was just getting the food for his brother. The other boy was almost paper thing with malnutrition. Poor Matthew was never noticed by their parents, it was if he wasn't even there. It was up to Alfred to get him food and water.

Alfred was nearly caught at first, but through the years of opening the door for someone who 'wasn't there'; they always assumed that he just talking to his 'imaginary friend'. They never knew it was actually their other, quieter son.

Alfred loved his brother a lot. Matthew was so small and weak, but so sweet and smart. Alfred was determined to protect his brother no matter what, even if that meant running away to join the circus or something.

Unfortunately, his parents didn't share his sentiment. Every year on the twin's birthday, they'd singly celebrate Alfred's with a big cake and random kids that he didn't really know. Afterwards, Alfred would sneak off with a cupcake and candle and celebrate Matthew's birthday.

Sometimes, Alfred would wake up in a cold sweat, images of war and death in his mind. A black haired man was crying in those dreams or screaming but it depended on the nightmare.

Matthew would always be the one to comfort him into the early morning. They were completely inseparable. They didn't wish to be apart and one of the upsides to Matthew's invisibility is that no one questioned them.

By the time Alfred turned 16, his parents were practically indifferent to his 'overeating'. He wasn't even sure if they'd noticed that he wasn't as big as he should be, or that he snuck food under the table at dinner.

He was in the middle of grabbing a bag of chips to share with Matthew when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"What do you think you're doing?" It was his father and the man looked both annoyed and concerned. "Is your stomach a bottomless pit or something? You just had a massive lunch a little while ago; you're going to get fat."

Alfred pouted, internally attempting to calm himself. He needed to keep up a façade so that his father didn't get suspicious. "What do you mean Pops, lunch was ages ago!"

"Alfred you've really been stuffing your face recently," His father shook his head. "What's going on with you? Is there something wrong?"

Alfred was quick to deny this. "No, no, I'm fine." He grinned but knew it looked completely forced.

His father didn't look convinced. "Are you sure? You shouldn't eat as much as you do..."

"I was only going to have half the packet!" Oh no, now if he came back with an empty packet, he'd be called a liar. Curse his mouth for running a hundred miles per minute.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah!" Alfred argued.

"And who's gonna eat the other half? Several chip packets have disappeared recently, were they just you eating 'half'?" His father's eyebrows raised, irritation sinking into his voice. Alfred gulped. He'd been caught. Time to take a shot in the dark.

"It was Matthew." His voice came out hesitant. "Matthew has been eating the rest."

"Matthew, who's Matthew?" His father looked confused; to his knowledge, Alfred didn't have friends come over. His words made Alfred's blood boil.

" _Your other son."_ He hissed under his breath. He was completely fed up with his parent's ignorance.

"What?" His father's brow creased. "Alfred, you don't have a brother, that's just silly."

"What would you know?!" Alfred suddenly cried. It took his father by surprise. Matthew, who had just been stepping out to see what was taking Alfred so long, jumped back at the volume of his brother's voice.

"Alfred, that is no way to talk to me," His father scolded. "You don't have a brother; I know you wish you d-"Alfred broke him off.

"Shut up! Matthew has been forgotten and mistreated and malnourished because you are just so BLIND!"

Alfred's fists were clenched, eyes glistening with unshed tears. Matthew went to stop the conflict but he knew he wouldn't be able to do anything with his invisibility. So he simply tried to persuade Alfred to back off. "Alfred, come on, let's go!"

Alfred crossed his arms and held the bag of chips to his chest. He then followed Matthew to their shared bedroom.

Once he'd stepped inside, he slammed the door loud enough to echo through the house. He imagined his mother would be woken up from her mid day nap with all the noise.

Matthew sat down on the bed and he followed the action. He was still fuming, even with the door slam.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your fight but I don't think you should fight Papa." Matthew looked down.

"I hate it!" Alfred suddenly burst out. "I hate how no one can see you! How you're mistreated and forgotten!"

Matthew patted him on the back. They just sat like that for a bit. Alfred's head on Matthew's shoulder, his tears soaking Matthew's shirt.

"I wanna run away." Alfred's voice came out shaky. Matthew looked up shock on his face.

"What? No!"

"I wanna run away with you and look after you." Alfred looked extremely determined. Matthew wondered if he'd be able to talk him out of this. Probably not but he was going to try.

"But where would we get the money? Yeah, sure we could steal some cash from mama and papa, but it would only take us so far. Certainly wouldn't feed two people. And neither of us are old enough to get a job. And even after that, no one can see me so I can't be hired. I'd basically be useless."

"I don't care, I'm sick of you being treated like this! I don't want to be here anymore." Alfred whined. He stood up and pulled his suitcase out of the cupboard. "We're leaving, I need to protect you and I can't do that here."

"Alfred!" Matthew protested, but Alfred was already stuffing warm clothes into the suitcase. Luckily the twins were the same size.

"Brother!" He kept on, Alfred continuing to ignore him in favour of packing the suitcase full of things he thought they would need. "Alfred, please!"

Once finished, Alfred snuck out of the room and returned laden with toiletries and blankets, placing these in a second suitcase.

"I'll take this bag and you take that one." Alfred told Matthew. "We'll hide these under the bed and once Mama and Papa are asleep, we get them out and steal some cash from Mama's purse."

He pushed the two suitcases under the bed as he continued. "Mama always has lots of money in her purse, so we nick it and leave out the front door. Then we catch one of those night buses and head north towards Canada."

"Wow, you've put a lot of thought into this." Matthew commented, defeated. He'd given up trying to talk sense into his brother.

"Well, I do think about it a lot when I'm alone." Alfred admitted. They'd finally dug into the bag of chips.

The room was silent after that.

* * *

The twins' mother and father had come in to say goodnight hours ago. Their father had done it with worry in his eyes while their mother was still blissfully ignorant.

The house was now silent. Alfred tensed up in bed and Matthew gulped. He was going to do it.

Alfred climbed out of bed, making sure the sound of his feet hitting the ground was virtually non-existent. Matthew followed him, not caring if his footsteps were silent or not. No one ever heard him anyway. Gently, Alfred pulled the suitcases out. The pair winced as the wheels made a screeching sound. They stood, frozen, but nothing happened. So Alfred lifted one of the suitcases onto the bed, Matthew following suit.

Alfred then handed Matthew a pair of trousers and a shirt, keeping another pair for himself. Once the two were dressed and lacing up identical boots, Matthew spoke. But it was more of a whisper.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" When Alfred turned to him, you could see the determination written in his expression. But his eyes betrayed his uncertainty.

"I don't know if this will work," He looked down. "But we need to try."

Matthew grasped his hand. "I'm also unsure, but if you really want to do this then I will follow you." Alfred looked up at him with a thankful gaze, keeping silent. "Even though you're a gigantic oaf, I love you."

Once the pair had shoes on they stepped out of the room, eyes scanning the hall for anyone. Not that there would be anyone but it would be better to be careful.

In the kitchen, their mother's handbag sat, alone and in the open. Alfred rifled through it, finding her purse and taking many notes out of it.

Matthew gulped again when he discarded the purse on the bench and walked casually towards the door, suitcase in tow. Matthew rushed to follow.

It was a little tricky to get the door open. The handle had always been stiff. Alfred rattled it slightly, cringing at the sound it was making. Matthew hoped this wouldn't be the thing that got them caught.

A few more rattles and the door was open. Cold air chilled them to the bone but they continued outward.

It was the closing of the door that really screwed them over. Once the pair were free from the clutches of their childhood home, Alfred was determined to take off as quickly as possible. He let go of the door, expecting it to swing closed soundlessly.

But no. The blasting wind caught the wood and it slammed shut with a bang. The twins eyes widened in fear. A light flickered on and they started moving.

From the window, their parents saw Alfred sprinting with a suitcase out the gate. Alarm bells rang in their heads and the couple split up. Alfred's mother opened the window and yelled for him to come back, while his father rushed out the door to follow his son.

"Alfred!" Matthew cried. "They're coming!" Alfred sped up.

"Alfred." It was his father this time. His tone was a lot different to Matthew's. Angry. "Alfred, come back!"

Alfred and Matthew were running towards the bus stop. Luckily there was a bus there. But it was about to leave.

"Alfred! Please!" His mother had followed them out. Alfred put on another burst of speed. The doors to freedom were closing. The bus pulled away and Alfred cried out in a mixture of fear and disappointment.

Matthew had caught up with his brother, who had fallen to his knees when he saw the bus pull away. "It's okay, Alfred. We tried."

"No!" He yelled. "I need to leave!" Their mother and father were approaching. Alfred slammed his hand against the ground, tears streaming down his face.

Matthew sat down next to Alfred and let him lay in his lap. Their parents finally caught up and his mother's face was heartbroken. She was both confused and absolutely terrified.

"Alfred, why?" Was all she asked. He didn't look up at her. It simply looked like he was lying on the concrete.

His father had come up behind them. He kneeled down and moved Alfred's head to his own lap. "Alfred, what is wrong with you?" Alfred moved his head away. "Alfred, answer me."

"Matthew." His voice was quiet.

"Not this again." His father sighed.

"Who's Matthew?" Alfred's mother asked, calmer this time.

"His brother, he says." His father's voice was getting was getting distant. Immediately alarm bells started ringing in Alfred's head. Spots were appearing in his vision. Matthew also felt light headed.

Before they drifted off completely, Alfred heard one thing. "Matthew is probably his coping mechanism. He's lonely so he dreamed up a brother."

And the twins were then sucked into a black abyss unanimously.

* * *

Alfred woke up in an embrace. For a minute he had forgotten what had happened. All that mattered was that both him and Matthew were safe and together.

Then everything came back to him. His heart started pounding against his ribcage and he quickly blinked his eyes open. White walls, white floors. He reached over and shook Matthew awake.

"Mattie! Wake up!" He almost yelled. Matthew yawned slightly. Footsteps echoed behind them, getting closer.

"Good morning Mr Jones." Said a sickly sweet voice and he immediately knew he would hate the person speaking. A cold chill went through him, freezing him to the bone.

A woman with a plump face and chubby cheeks sat across from him. He'd realised that him and Matthew had been squished together on a couch. He helped Matthew sit up and the two sat facing the woman.

She wore a lab coat with shoulder length golden hair and brown eyes. "Now, you must be confused on what is happening," She said. Alfred gulped, her large form was defiantly intimidating.

"Where are we?" Assuming he was talked about both himself and her, she continued.

"This is Blackwood Mental Facility. Your parents admitted you last night. They were very worried about you." She explained, every word making Alfred's heart drop even further.

"Why? They're the ones who should be here."

"Why do you say that?" She asked, the calm never leaving her voice. It was kind of creepy.

"They forgot Matthew." Alfred clutched Matthew's hand tighter, she noticed. "They always forget Matthew!"

"Tell me who Matthew is."

"My brother," He responded quickly. "No one can see him."

She nodded. Her eyes grazed back over his hand, still intertwined in Matthew's.

"So he's here then?"

"Yes."

* * *

 ** _"Since the last few chapters were pretty short, I've decided to bless you with a rather long one. This is officially the longest chapter yet, 11 pages when I originally wrote it._**

 ** _I do apologize for the long wait, I kinda lost my muse and my time to do it has cut down._**

 ** _I would like to thank everyone for leaving kudos and commenting on chapters._**

 ** _Next chapter will probably be a bit shorter and more filler-ish, but the action will start soon. Don't you guys worry, I've got a lot of interesting things planned for future chapters._**

 ** _This is the last backstory chapter planned so far. There will be one to explain everything but that will be way into the future."_**


	8. Part 1 - A Brother, Not a Reason to Give

_**Bottom AN is copied from AO3.**_

* * *

If there were words to describe how he was feeling, he didn't know them. His vocabulary wasn't very vast, especially at the moment. He'd clammed up when they'd gotten home. Empty house, hollow and melancholy.

Alexander did not look forward to the next day. He didn't sleep, obviously, and bags hung under his eyes when he looked in the mirror.

In the lounge, his mother lay, hung-over. She snored loudly and Alex was certainly glad one of them had managed to doze off.

He packed his school bag and only remembered his forgotten homework. Oh well, at least he had a reasonable excuse.

Shouldering the bag, he shot a look at his mother's sleeping form before picking up her keys and his wallet. He could drive, though he normally got dropped off.

* * *

His eyes were almost dead as he pulled up to the school. Pocketing the keys, he hopped out and locked the car.

"Hey, doesn't your mother normally drop you off?" A voice came from behind him. A girl with amber eyes and curly brown hair stood there. Jenny.

"Hi ,Jenny." He avoided her question.

"Come on Alex, I know you." She crossed her arms, thick eyebrows furrowing.

"Mom's at home, on the couch, hungover," He stepped away. "And no, I don't want to talk about it." He added when she opened her mouth to question, turning his back and walking towards the school.

"Alex!" She'd started following him.

"I said I don't want to talk about it!" He sped up, cursing under his breath at his tired limbs.

"Alex, tell me! I can't help you if you don't tell me!" She glared. He was getting sick of her whining. So he quickly spun around, grabbing her wrist. He then darted around into an empty corridor, pulling her with him. No one came down here.

"Fine, just keep quiet." His voice was agitated but to be honest, it wasn't like he wanted, in gruesome detail, explain how his sweet little brother had tried to commit suicide last night.

Well, he supposed that wasn't quite right. Lukas only stabbed himself to make a point, not because he wanted to die. An odd point but his brother was odd. Not that it bothered him. But he couldn't help but admit the fact that it did.

"Are you going to tell me?" Her voice shocked him out of his stupor and he tried to look like he hadn't been fading into the black abyss that was his mind.

"Oh yeah," Alexander said lamely. "Ugh, this is hard to say... can I just come out with it bluntly?" She nodded, full of slight irritation and anticipation. He felt like those feelings would disappear quickly.

"Last night my little brother got stabbed." It came out rushed and he knew he could have phrased it a lot better. Jenny leaned away, looking slightly green. He didn't blame her and was now thoroughly regretting his decision to tell her. He could have lied or something.

"What do you mean? Was there a murderer or did he get attacked on the st-"He cut her off.

"Himself. He stabbed himself. Jenny, last night my brother tried to kill himself." Alexander felt it was the only way to explain it, even though it wasn't technically correct.

"Oh no!" Her eyes brimmed with tears, though she was defiantly making an effort to blink them back. He and Jenny had been friends for years now. Ever since she moved from Australia. "Is he okay?"

"He's..." Alexander bit his lip. It wasn't like he really knew the answer to the question. "He's still alive if that's what you mean."

Jenny's head tilted slightly in confusion. So Alexander elaborated. "They took him somewhere else. I don't know if I will see him again."

She was ready to question him more, but he stepped away from her. She took the hint and shut her mouth.

Stepping into class came with his usual chatter but today it was muted. He didn't really care what new game was out or how well someone did on a test. It wasn't important. It was like the whole experience had put the world into perspective.

He sat down at his desk as the bell rang and people reluctantly quietened. The teacher came in and stood in front of the class with a finger to his lips and a serious look on his face.

Alexander got a bad feeling in his stomach. Especially as slight whispers started around him.

"Quiet now class." The man's voice was soft, gentle, making him feel worse. "Now Alexander." Everyone turned to him. He gulped.

"Could you leave the classroom for a minute?" Alexander got to his feet and the whispers got louder.

Alexander stayed quiet as he left the classroom and closed the door. Then he pressed his ear to said door so he could listen in.

"Class, Alexander has recently experienced a sudden loss in his immediate family." Queue gasps. "I want everyone to treat Alexander like normal. I'm sure he would not appreciate being gawked at."

Alexander scowled. If the teacher had just kept quiet, it would be so much easier. But no, everything had just been made ten times harder.

The rest of the day was going to be torture.

* * *

As he'd predicted, the day had been horrible. Despite his teacher's words, people still tread carefully around him. They gave him curious glances and sympathetic words that didn't mean anything.

By the time the bell rung for home time, he felt sick. He shouldered his bag and walked out of the classroom, attempting to avoid people. But Jenny had other plans.

"Hey, I'll walk you to your car. You look like you're about to pass out."

"I'm fine," Alexander quickly cut in.

"You don't look very 'fine'." Jenny crossed her arms.

Alexander tried to step away. "Not in the mood." She glared but he just walked away from her. Getting to his mother's car, he breathed heavily.

"She's just so persistent!" He shook his head, gunning the engine.

When he got home, the smell hit him hard. Baking bread and homemade cookies. Entering the kitchen, he was overwhelmed. His mother stood in the kitchen surrounded but freshly made pastries and desserts.

"Mum?!" She looked up, bags under her eyes. She also had the widest and creepiest smile on her face.

"Hey honey, why don't you try some?" She held out a plate.

"I was just going to do my homework." He backed away.

"Take some up with you!" Well, that was new. His mother never normally let him eat in his room. She said it attracted ants.

"Okay..." He reluctantly took the plate of cookies and made his way up the stairs, trying not to think about how he'd run down them yesterday. Yeah, not a happy thought.

Once in his room, he gently placed the plate on his desk, chucking his bag on the ground and flopping down on his bed.

"Why?" He simply asked. "Why me?"

Pieces of paper fluttered on his desk slightly and he took it as a sign. So he got up and sat down at his desk, taking out a pen.

' _Dear Norway...'_

* * *

 ** _"_** ** _Filler chapter. It's a little bit of set up for a few more important chapters down the road. Despite that, I'm not very happy with it._**

 ** _Next chapter is hopefully going to be ten times better. Focusing on Romania because he is beautiful._**

 ** _Jenny may come back. I dunno"_**


End file.
